The flooring industry has been working to develop wear layer systems and flooring products incorporating these systems which provide excellent gloss retention & scratch resistance. For non-residential (commercial) flooring applications such as use in schools, hospitals, stores, etc. wherein the composite wear layer must also provide excellent color stability over the lifetime of the product due to exposure to light and as well as excellent stain resistance from foot traffic conditions. Additionally, the composite wear layer must also be compatible with maintenance materials that can be applied after some wearing of the composite wear layer occurs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,811, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, discloses using organic/inorganic (O/I) top coat layers which provide stain and gloss protection when applied over a clear, protective layer. However, the '811 patent does not describe composites incorporating the organic/inorganic top coat layer with a composite wear layer so that it can be used in commercial flooring applications as well as residential applications.
Current compositions and methods fail to provide top coat layers, and flooring products incorporating the top coat layers, which fully satisfy the foregoing criteria. Accordingly, a need exists for such flooring.